It's that time of the year again.....

The FONAS Artist Plate Show!!!!

Every year the National Art School in Sydney (where I completed my Bachelor of Fine Arts) invites selected Artists to paint on a hand-thrown ceramic plate. The plates are then auctioned off on an exciting night to raise money for the school.
Attracting such well known names as Wendy Sharp, Cherry Hood, Rudy Kistler, and of course... Mr. Squiggle!!

I managed to worm myself in again this year, so this will be my third year to participate.

Oh yes: Officially pausing my count-down challenge of unfinished artworks... Hey, come on, this is a special excuse!! :-)

2010 Plate... ahh, the endless possibilities of blank canvas... or in this case, blank ceramic:

Here's the second plate I created last year in 2009:

Breathe, Rusty Breeze

And the very first one I completed in 2008:
please click to view slightly bigger, I haven't mastered how to post decent sized pictures on my blog yet, they always get cut off :-(

Brugmansia

Blushing in a Gilded Age...

Some more features in delightful Etsy treasuries this week, but the first is one that really made me smile....


Do you remember Bramble, my precious little silk doll made for me by the talented Crystal? This week she has included one of my Giclee Prints in an absolutely divine treasury. As well as a feature on her blog ^_^

Sacrificial Rabbits - Blog

Blushing In A Gilded Age

Dream Weavers

Romantic Dream

Leda likes Bunnies

A cute little picture I drew for my boss’s daughter’s birthday.

You know you’re “in” when the boss’s daughter likes you… even if she’s only 4 years old!

Did you know my biggest and most desperate dream is to illustrate full time for children’s books? Well… now you do!
I hope you like this other side to my “style”.

Etsy Treasuries

I was tickled pink recently getting included in a couple of treasuries on Etsy. Being a tiny fledgling store, it thrills me to know that people actually find their way to my shop.. next up is sales....hoefully! :-P

I love seeing the themes people pick. In thic case I have two Cinderella themes, and the one I thoughts was very cool: "Lounging with the Mati-Hari Revenge Squad"

Lounging with the Mati-Hair Revenge Squad

Cinderella Isn't Home

Cinderella Story

Fireflies Print

Thank You! I had such a beautiful and emotive response after I introduced my latest artwork, “Fireflies in the marsh”.

It was a piece that I really poured a lot of my emotions and mentality into – it was wonderful to receive such touching feedback.

A few of you darlings expressed a deep interest in seeing me translate it into a print of some sorts, and I definitely would like to be able to accommodate!

At the moment I have two print options, and if anyone would like either of these, please let me know. Inquiries can be made directly to me at monimano@hotmail.com, or through an etsy conversation: http://www.monikaviktoria.etsy.com/
A4 Giclee Print – Archival Giclee Inks printed on heavy professional acid free100% cotton paper = $40
A4 Photographic Print – Printed by a professional Photo Lab on matt-finished Photography paper = $20
Postage is $10 for International, or $6 within Australia.


I’m not at the stage where I can afford to just get a stack printed out to have lying around, nor do I currently have the demand. So if you’d like a beautiful print of “Fireflies” (or any of my other artworks) please email me and I will willingly oblige J



xx

Fireflies in the marsh rise...

Inspired by a beautiful Japanese Poem from the 11th Century by Lady Izumi Shikibu, and a recent trip to the States where I got to see fireflies for the first time.

The muse was, once again, one of Marina Bychkova’s dolls.

When I think of you, fireflies in the marsh rise like the souls jewels, lost to eternal longing abandoning my body.
--Izumi Shikibu

I have this poem engraved on a rose-gold bangle (by Victoria Buckley) that I wear every day, and have been wanting to illustrate the emotions it evokes in me for a while. I dreaded starting the background for this one, but I’m so pleased with how it turned out.

If you haven’t noticed yet, I have a strong melancholic streak. The sort of melancholy that intermingles with romance, nostalgia and heartbreaking memories.
Not having fireflies in Australia (at least not anywhere I’ve been, and not in the quantity I saw in Illinois) I have some really delightful memories of camping by a river and looking up into the trees on the opposite shore - and watching this haunting light show of flickering, ebbing and blinking. I couldn’t believe my eyes.
I imagined how I would have felt if no one had told me they were fireflies – I would surely have thought I was seeing ghosts, aliens, or hallucinating.

 
For those lovelies following my unfinished-work challenge: this is number 11. Only 10 more to go!

Personal Effects

This piece was inspired by fellow artist and friend, Caitlin Shearer. I’ve always loved her little compositions showing fragments from her day-to-day life.

During my pieces I have to often stop and wait for a layer of watercolour to dry before I can continue. During those little stops I doodled some of the various articles from my daily existence

Polka dots and pastels, who wouldn’t adore them? : ->


I hope Caitlin doesn’t mind!!

Number 12.... Countdown Challenge!

So my count-down challenge is on! This is number 12 out of 13. Only 11 more unfinished illustrations to go. Should only take me the rest of the year ;-)

I originally doodled this drawing whilst sitting on a very long train ride. I had a little postcard from a fashion boutique next door that I used for reference.
As I usually use my friends as models for my artworks, this one definitely stands out to be as the "black sheep" for me. There's something I like about being able to look at one of my pieces, and recall my friend's personality and character captured in watercolour.

But anyway, I was determined to finish it as part of my challenge!!

Orchid Border

I've decided to try and complete all my unfinished pieces before I start any new ones....

(now stop right there.... I know you were about to say you've heard me say THAT before.... but this time I really mean it!)

I've found that I've slowed right down at the "colouring" stages of my process again. I'm taking a lot of care but pieces are taking days to weeks to complete. Surely if I solely concentrate on the thirteen images I have sitting here uncoloured, and colour all of them, I'll learn a thing or two and even get my speed up a little bit?

So it's a count down. This one was number 13. I finished it today. Twelve more to go....

The problem is I started this piece so long ago (I finished drawing it a year ago and only got around to adding the first dabs of colour a couple days ago!) that there was obviously a use I had intended for it.... but it's long since forgotten.

Any ideas of what I could use it for? It seems a shame to waste such a nice inviting space in the centre......



(I might have to talk to my website designer!!)